“Now performed almost daily”
Putin sees “positive changes” in negotiations
03/11/2022, 1:45 p.m
The peace negotiations in Belarus have so far been unsuccessful, and the talks between Russia’s Foreign Minister Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Kuleba have not brought any breakthrough either. Nevertheless, President Putin can see progress. According to Putin, the negotiators now speak “almost daily”.
Russia’s head of state Vladimir Putin sees “positive changes” in the negotiations with Ukraine. “There are certain positive changes, our negotiators have reported to me,” Putin said during a televised meeting with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. Negotiations would “now be conducted on an almost daily basis”.
Delegations from Kyiv and Moscow have met three times in the past two weeks for talks in Belarus. The focus of these negotiations was the creation of escape corridors for civilians. On Thursday, the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine, Sergei Lavrov and Dmytro Kuleba, met for the first time since the Russian offensive began. However, there was no decisive progress with regard to a possible ceasefire during the talks in Antalya, Turkey.
Putin has repeatedly said in the past few days that Russia is ready to end hostilities. In return, Ukraine and the West would have to accept Moscow’s demands. Among other things, Putin is demanding neutrality and a “demilitarization” of Ukraine, as well as recognition of Russian sovereignty over the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed in 2014.